Mtwara villagers want to know how they're to benefit

Mtwara residents demonstrate in the municipality yesterday to protest what they described as likelihood of being �bypassed� and therefore not benefiting much from the installation of a pipeline to pump natural gas found in Mtwara Region to Dar es Salaam. (Photo: Guardian Correspondent)

Thousands of Mtwara residents yesterday staged a nine-kilometre march to protest against the government decision to construct a gas pipeline from the region to Dar es Salaam while it is yet to clear the air about how the local people are going to benefit.

The demonstration started from Mtawanya village where the gas is being extracted and ended on Msimbati Street in Mtwara municipality.

The peaceful demonstration, which also attracted wananchi from Tandahimba and Newala districts, was well guarded by the police.
According to reports issued by the coordinators of the demonstration, Mtwara Regional Commissioner Joseph Simbakalia had been asked to receive the marchers in the municipality but reportedly declined. They were instead received by chairman of the Union of Political Parties in the region Hussen Mussa Amiri.

Parties forming the union are Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema), NCCR-Mageuzi, SAU, Tanzania Labour Party, APPT Maendeleo, Alliance for Democratic Change, United Democratic Party and DP.

The slogan of the union is “Gas first, political parties later.'
The main market and roads here were closed for some time to allow traders to take part in the demonstration. The demonstrators held placards to convey their messages, which protested transporting gas from Mtwara to Dar es Salaam.

Reading out a statement by political parties, secretary of the union Seleman Litope said for a long time southern regions have been denied various development opportunities, citing the uprooting of a railway, poor supervision of cashewnut sales and lack of infrastructure such as roads and extraction of gas.

He said the situation had caused southern regions to lag behind in development, adding that they were not ready to see history repeating itself.

"We want the construction of the gas pipeline to be suspended …the government is not transparent on how the residents of Mtwara are going to benefit from the resource. The decision to transport gas to Dar es Salaam is contrary to President Kikwete's promise when he visited the region, saying Mtwara should prepare to become an industrial zone," Litope said.

“We are worried due to what happened to Songosongo residents in Lindi region. They have been left in abject poverty while they produce gas. We want to supervise our resources so we can get development,” he said.

The statement, which contained nine recommendations, queried why power generators were not installed in Mtwara while it has enough space for such projects.

They called on President Jakaya Kikwete to sack Mtwara RC Simbakalia, claiming that he has insulted them for mounting the protest against the construction of the gas pipeline to Dar es Salaam.

Announcing new power connection charges earlier this month, Energy and Minerals Minister Prof Sospeter Muhongo said residents in Lindi and Mtwara regions would be the first to start enjoying the lower rates. They will for the next six months be paying only 99,000/- connection fee for both single and three-phase power, a steep reduction from 455,104.76/- for single phase and 912,104.74/- for three phase.

According to the minister, residents in Lindi and Mtwara have been given such lower prices as an offer to enable more people access electricity. He said the residents had for a long time complained about high power connection fees despite the regions being major producers of gas in the country.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN